Creamed spinach stuffed mushrooms

Sometimes you just have to stuff a mushroom. They’re rich and earthy, and do a very good job of filling you up when you just want something hearty and comforting. And very good way to transform ‘comforting’ into ‘that was so good I just want to pass out’ is to add creamed spinach. That’s right. Creamed spinach stuffed inside a roasted mushroom… I die.

I’ll admit, I totally overstuffed these babies – and the filling was so thick and creamy that the tomato sort of started sliding off the top. But you can cope with that, right? If it means you getmore creamy spinach? I thought so. If you want yours to be a little neater (e.g. for a dinner party, or for any purpose other than immediate inhalation), you could always be a little stingier with the filling. But stinginess isn’t really something I do, so I just went for it and crammed it all in there.

By the way, if I was going to serve creamed spinach as a side dish on its own, I wouldn’t make it nearly this creamy – it would be far too rich. However since there’s only a spoonful or two inside each mushroom, it’s perfect for this purpose.

I seem to love topping everything with a slice of tomato lately (see: ricotta and tomato tart) – it looks so pretty, and rounds the dish off nicely without needing to top it with cheese or breadcrumbs, which are my usual toppings for anything baked. Admittedly, cheese and breadcrumbs are pretty awesome, but the creamed spinach is rich enough without. The tomato roasts slightly in the oven and the juicy sweetness and gorgeous red colour are welcome additions to just about anything.

We ate these creamed spinach stuffed mushrooms as a lunchtime meal with a little bit of crusty bread and butter (which I could eat forever) at the side, but you could have these alongside a ‘proper’ meal as well.

This is entirely unrelated to food and is probably going to make you judge me a little, but is anyone else ridiculously excited about the McBusted tour next year?! I feel as if I’m 13 again. If I’m not around tomorrow it’ll be because I’m still sat on Ticketmaster clicking ‘refresh’ every half a second until I manage to get some tickets (though it’s more likely they’ll sell out in a few minutes, which is annoying). Also annoying: I’m on my honeymoon when they come to Liverpool. Silly wedding getting in the way of McBusted. Luckily they’re coming fairly near me again after I get back, so it’s all good. I don’t need to cancel my marriage just yet.

Melt the butter in a pan, and add the garlic. Cook over a low heat for just a minute or so until the garlic is fragrant. Add the flour and continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes to cook the flour. Add the milk a little at the time, stirring well to make the sauce smooth each time before adding the next amount.

Add the chopped spinach and a pinch of nutmeg, and season generously with salt and pepper. Continue to cook for a couple more minutes until the spinach is wilted.

Place the portobellos in a lightly greased dish, and fill with the creamed spinach. Top with a slice of tomato and a little extra pepper if desired. Place in the oven for around 30 minutes, until the mushrooms are soft and the creamed spinach is just beginning to turn golden brown on top.